


The only light in this darkness

by SheenaWilde



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fantasy AU, M/M, Secret Valentine, Vampire AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 01:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6032692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheenaWilde/pseuds/SheenaWilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lovino, unwilling heir of a rich noble family, is forced to attend his grandfather’s every ball. But this night, a mysterious stranger captures his interest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The only light in this darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This was a gift in 2016 Secret Valentine event for [waitineedaname](http://waitineedaname.tumblr.com/). You can find the original [here](http://spamano-secretvalentine.tumblr.com/post/139387419164/to-lily-waitineedaname-from-sheena).

As his outfit for the evening was finally complete, Lovino looked at himself in the mirror and let out a frustrated sigh. He really, really didn’t want to attend this ball. It was just going to be as it always was – him, standing to the side, occasionally some girls would come up of course and try to get him to dance with them, and he would turn them down firmly but politely, for his grandfather’s sake. Although sometimes he wasn’t so convinced it wasn’t his doing that women always found him. As the elder, he was to inherit everything from his grandfather and it meant he would need to find a suitable wife, the sooner the better. He didn’t have much desire to marry – to be tied to a woman he probably wouldn’t even know, not to mention wouldn’t love - but it was near inevitable. He had yet to find a way to escape this miserable fate.

He sighed again, closing his eyes for a brief moment and summoned all of his strength - he damn sure needed it all… Then he hurriedly left the room, knowing he already stayed away for too long – being late from his grandfather’s ball was the same as from his own. He was also thought of as host, and he had to honor his guest. Even if he would rather not meet them for the rest of his life.

The ballroom was full of people, Lovino noted when he descended the stairs. Every noble family of importance seemed to be present, all dressed in rich velvets and shining silks, decorated with expensive jewels of all kind, some sewn to the fabric itself, some trapped in a silver or golden necklace. It was overwhelming to even look at, making Lovino feel slightly dizzy. He hurried to mix between the people, to disappear in the crowd without being noticed by anyone, so he could escape to an abandoned corner where maybe he could have his peace for the night.

Passing through the room while nodding to a noble here and there, greeting some ladies properly, he saw his brother engaged in a deep conversation with a tall, blond noble. Ludwig, he recalled – it wasn’t the first time he saw him. Veneziano was quite fond of him, so they frequented each other’s mansions often enough just to pass time together. Lovino suspected something deeper than mere friendship happening there, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled. He thought Ludwig was dull and cold, what with his face rarely showing any emotion, but he couldn’t talk any sense into Veneziano. Well, it wasn’t his business anyway, he had his own worries to think about.

Finally Lovino reached a dark corner that seemed safe to hide in. He leaned against the wall with a relieved sigh – he managed to get through the room without being forced to chat or dance with anyone, that was quite an achievement. Now came the worst part. He had to wait for the night to end…

Lovino usually tried to entertain himself with observing the crowd, watching how everyone danced around each other. He couldn’t always listen in on the conversations, but some people were painfully obvious. Secret lovers dancing together while believing they weren’t gazing at each other with love and pain in their eyes. Women desperately trying to charm or turn down men. Widows either hunting for the next victim, or telling their sob stories to their eager crowd. Some couples slipping out the room to spend time together. Men joking with or threatening each other… There was something eerily frightening about the fact how many secrets one could find out if they observed. Lovino, for one, had seen more things he had ever wanted to…

Lovino didn’t know how long he had been hiding there when he noticed something peculiar. A young man unlike anyone he had ever seen before. He had dark brown hair with a matching dark skin, and he was dressed in the finest cloths, the frilly sleeves and the collar hemmed with lace, his fingers decorated with golden rings, each having a large gem on them. He looked so lavish, yet so different from everyone else in the room, he stood out amongst the crowd. He also held a certain grace to the way he was walking through the room, despite looking somewhat lost. For the first time in gods know how long, Lovino was intrigued.

He appeared to be searching for someone, judging by the way he was looking around, slowly progressing through the room. Despite every rule he usually kept to, Lovino was curious enough to move out of his safe corner and follow him. Such a breathtaking sight as the man wasn’t ordinary – he felt like he was drawn to him. He didn’t want to lose sight of him just yet. He at least had to see who the other was acquainted with, maybe his grandfather knew the family… One thing he had never been good at was remembering all the noble family names. It was terribly boring to learn, and he honestly saw no use of it. But this one might be good to know.

When they reached the other end of the ballroom, Lovino trailing behind him in a safe distance, the man seemed to find who he was looking for, as he stopped next to another man who seemed a few years older. It would have been obvious to anyone that they were related – their skin tone, the color of their hair and eyes matched perfectly. Their face shared several traits as well, not confusingly so, but it was unquestionable that they were brothers. The style of the clothes they wore were similar as well – rich with frills and laces, fingers bearing golden rings with impressive jewels. The only significant difference seemed to be his hair which was much longer and tied back into an elegant ponytail. Together they looked so out of place amongst the others that Lovino was positive he had never seen them before. This, he surely would have noticed…

Lovino watched them exchange a few words, then both of them turned away, and it took some time for Lovino to notice that they were heading for the door. He hesitated for a moment – following someone in a crowded room was easy, but in the empty hallways? But he was the host, he reasoned, if he was caught and questioned, he had every reason to be wherever he wanted in his own house. So he followed them.

The next hallway they stepped out to was decorated with swords, maces and shields on the wall, all of them bearing proudly the family banner. They were relics of old times, each of them belonging to an ancestor who fought in a heroic battle. A thick carpet was laid out on the floor which absorbed every sound the shoes would make, helping Lovino hide his presence. They turned another corner and stopped there, while Lovino stayed behind.

Now that they were out of the range of chatter and music, Lovino heard them talk – he heard their voices for the first time. He was careful when to turn the corner but in the silence of the corridors he could hear them from afar. A deep baritone and a somewhat higher, pleasant one. The first belonged to the older one with the ponytail, the latter to the man he first noticed. He didn’t really pay attention to what they were discussing, he wasn’t interested. He was just watching them, peeking around the corner. They were so strange, so mysterious, if he could only talk to the one he’d been following, if he only had a reason…

A shield clattered to the floor with a muted thud, making Lovino jump back in surprise with a loud curse. Then his head snapped towards the brothers who were now staring at him, the older with raised eyebrows but otherwise emotionlessly, the younger with surprise.

“Well, fuck” Lovino mumbled to himself as he stood there motionlessly and had no idea how to proceed.

“Looks like we have company” the older of the siblings turned back to the other. “Go talk to him, he’s been following you around. We’ll continue this later.”

With that said, the man walked away from his brother, past Lovino and headed back to the ballroom. This left Lovino alone with the other, who was still staring at him but now with amusement also glowing in his emerald eyes. After a few moments the man took a few steps towards him, and smiled at him.

“I think an introduction is in order. My name is Antonio Carriedo. Pleasure to meet you” he said with a polite bow, not taking his eyes off the other.

“I-I am Lovino” Lovino tried to stutter out, still in shock from this whole situation. Yes, he followed the man – Antonio – but he hadn’t honestly expected to talk to him…

“Yes, I know. You are the grandchild of our host, the older one” Antonio nodded, a smile still on his lips. “I have heard about you a lot, although I hoped our first meeting would be in more appropriate circumstance… But it seems this has to do” he laughed lightly, and this made Lovino blush in embarrassment.

“I didn’t mean to- to spy, I just…” he started to protest but trailed off. He had no idea what to say, he was obviously caught with no excuse.

“Don’t worry about it! It doesn’t matter” Antonio waved dismissingly at that, which made Lovino feel somewhat relieved. At least he wasn’t in trouble, that was good to know.

“How do you know my grandfather? I don’t remember ever hearing your name before” Lovino asked. It was odd that he couldn’t recall ever even hearing about a family named Carriedo near them or of big importance, and he surely would have recognized it. His grandfather never mentioned them to him. He could have some private business with them but he doubted that that would be the case, lately his grandfather had shared every detail, every dealings, every important association with him, whether he wanted or not.

“Yes, I haven’t imagined you would remember, you were so very young when we- when my family stayed here last time” Antonio nodded, still smiling. Lovino wondered – did he ever stop smiling at all?

“But you remember? You don’t seem to be so very older than me…”

In all honesty, Antonio looked maybe three or four year older than Lovino, but it was certainly not more than a five years gap.

“Oh, a few years make a huge difference, and I have very good memory” Antonio said, but now there was something else in his smile, a kind of mysteriousness, as if he weren’t telling something… Lovino only realized that he was staring without a word when Antonio started giggling. He blushed a deep red, then turned his head away quickly. “But let’s not be standing in the middle of a corridor… I have no desire to go back to the ballroom, so if you wouldn’t mind, you could give me a tour around the mansion” Antonio suggested in the end, breaking the very much awkward silence.

“Well… Why the hell not” Lovino nodded in agreement – he too had no intention of going back, and if it meant he could spend time with Antonio… He was just so curious about him, he wanted to talk to him, be with him as much as he could and… Shit, he wasn’t attracted to him, was he…?

Pushing the thought aside, he started walking down the corridor, Antonio falling into pace with him beside him. None of them said anything for a while, they were just walking side by side, Antonio looking around the house while Lovino sometimes sneaked glances at him, hoping the other wouldn’t notice.

“That… that was your brother, earlier, right?” Lovino asked finally, with the intention of filling the silence, but he was actually curious if his guess was true.

“Ah, yes, João” Antonio nodded, looking at Lovino. “He is a few years older than me but we look very much alike, or so we are told. Was there any particular reason you asked?”

“No, just… I also noticed the similarities. They are quite visible” Lovino shrugged, simply, then turned right on the next corridor.

“Oh, are we going to the library?” Antonio asked enthusiastically all of a sudden, making Lovino stare at him surprised.

“Yes, I thought that would be a good idea but… How on earth do you know where the library is?” he asked, his voice maybe a bit demanding, but this was downright weird – if Antonio had been there so long ago, there was no way he could remember the layout of the house so clearly… That was impossible.

“I, uh… I’ve told you I have a great memory” Antonio stammered and looked forward, his eyes carefully not meeting with Lovino’s, who obviously wasn’t convinced by his answer, at all. “This… this might be the only room I remember clearly. I love libraries” he tried adding, and Lovino just nodded slowly, even though he still thought it weird.

“Well, it doesn’t matter I guess. I love the library, too” Lovino said as he kept walking. Maybe he shouldn’t worry too much – he remembered many images from his childhood quite clearly, it didn’t have to be such a big deal as it seemed at first.

As they stepped into the library, Antonio smiled widely, then started walking next to the shelves, looking at the books. Theirs wasn’t the biggest library Lovino had ever seen but it was big enough that he still found interesting books he hadn’t read before. The shelves were high, several ladders helped anyone who would want to reach the top ones, and there was a gallery too. In the middle of the room stood two large sofas with softy, heavy cushions and a small table between them, waiting for anyone who wanted to read peacefully. Lovino had always liked to sprawl out on them with a good book.

“Do you like to read?” Antonio asked from across the room, holding a book in his hand. When Lovino nodded, he went on. “What do you prefer read? Novels, history, philosophy? Poetry?”

“Usually novels, but sometimes poetry” Lovino started as he walked over to him, curious what book he had chosen. “I do read philosophy, although that is not always my own choice. Grandfather urges me to educate myself as much as I can while I have the time… He says I’ll need it, but sometimes it’s so abstract…”

“Yes, I agree! I, personally, never read them, too boring…” Antonio trailed off, putting the book back to its place before Lovino could sneak a peek of its cover. Shame. “But I do love poetry.”

“Ah, there’s a book here with a really good one” Lovino said as he turned towards the shelf and looked at the titles. He knew it was somewhere around there… He stepped towards the next set of shelves and he saw what he was searching for on an upper shelf. He reached out, then after a few moments of struggling, he turned back towards Antonio victoriously. “I read this a few years ago but…”

“Watch out!” Antonio cried suddenly, then grabbed Lovino’s hands, pulling him towards himself, causing the boy to stumble forward and drop the book. But the next moment a heavy encyclopedia fell of the shelf, landing just where he had been standing a moment ago. That would have hurt if it hit him…

“Um… Thanks…” Lovino turned to look at Antonio again, who was still gripping his wrists but he made no move to pull them away. His hands felt so weird against his skin. Lovino couldn’t exactly describe why but it felt… different. Antonio’s hands were warm and soft, incredibly soft – he didn’t know it was possible for human skin to be so gentle. He looked up to his eyes, and his gaze met with the most incredible set of eyes he had ever seen. The library wasn’t very well let but as they stood under a candle, it seemed as if they were red… Wait. “Are you… Your eyes… They are…” Lovino started to scramble for words, trying to sort out the mess of thoughts in his head.

But his words seemed to snap Antonio out of his daze, as he immediately let go of Lovino’s wrists and took a few steps back, casting his eyes downwards.

“What about them?” he laughed nervously, then turned away, back towards the door. “Come, let’s go out to the balcony. I… I think we could both use some fresh air.”

With that, Antonio hurried towards the door, not even looking back to see if Lovino was coming after him. But he of course rushed after him, following in his steps as he very confidently led the way to the balcony at the back of the mansion. Antonio stopped next to the stone railing, putting his hands on it and not looking up. Lovino stopped next to him, leaning against it with his side, turned towards Antonio and waited with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Moments of silence passed, and Lovino was about to run out of patience, but as if Antonio sensed it, he looked up at him apologetically.

“I… am sorry. I must be acting strangely” he said silently, and turned his head away again.

“Yes, you are. Also, apparently you know the house better than I do” Lovino started, his voice firm. He wasn’t letting the other away with it. “I mean, what the hell? I have lived here my whole life, known about every time when we had guests, and yet never seen you before. What’s going on here?”

Antonio looked up at Lovino, straight to his eyes and in the moonlight he could clearly see his eyes – they were, again, green. He could have been imagining it, it would be so easy to convince himself, but the way Antonio reacted, he knew he actually saw it.

A few seconds passed before Antonio sighed, turning his head away again.

“I… have lived in his house for years with your grandfather, after your parents died. You were indeed very young, not more than three or four years old when I left with my brother, so I knew you wouldn’t remember” Antonio started speaking finally, refusing to look up at Lovino all the while. “We were very good friends with Romanus, that was the reason he even offered to hide me until I needed. Then my brother found me and brought me to our new place. We have been in contact since then, occasionally dropping by during the night, exchanging letters…”

“Alright” Lovino said slowly as Antonio paused. It didn’t make sense. At all. And somehow he wanted to believe every word. “If I put the nonsense part aside for a moment… Why would you have needed to hide?”

“Because I was hunted” Antonio laughed darkly, a grim expression on his face – something Lovino wouldn’t have believed he was even capable. “I lived with my brother but the town noticed that something was wrong, that we have remained the same for too long… They attacked us. Funny how an angry mob of mortals scare us… We got separated with João, and the only one I could turn to was Romanus. I just hoped my brother would find me here. And he did.”

“You know, you are making even less sense than before… Mortals? Angry mobs?” Lovino frowned, getting really confused. Either there was something very wrong with Antonio’s head… or with his whole being. “Could you just tell me what are you?”

“A very good question” Antonio forced a smile, then turned towards Lovino. “There are many names. But the word you would know is vampire.”

Lovino stared at Antonio at that, his breath hitching. It was impossible. Such things as vampires didn’t exist – they were just made up creatures, like werewolves, mermaids or fairies, to scare or entertain children. Lovino knew they weren’t real. Yet the way Antonio said it… he knew he wasn’t lying.

“If- if that is true, and I am not saying I believe you, then why would you tell it to me just like that?” Lovino asked finally, forcing himself to sound more confident than he was feeling.

“You are Romanus’s grandson. That is all the reason I need to trust you” Antonio shrugged, watching Lovino’s expression carefully. “At worst, I would have to just make you forget we even talked…”

“You- you could do that?” Lovino asked shocked, and despite what his mind was telling him, he wasn’t afraid. He knew he should be but he simply wasn’t.

“Yes. But I don’t want to unless you force me” Antonio nodded, then stepped closer to Lovino, looking directly into his eyes. “Do you believe me now? Can I trust you with this?”

Well, those were the real questions, weren’t they?

“I-I think I do. And… you can” Lovino nodded, his traitorous cheeks heating up once again at Antonio’s sudden closeness but didn’t pull away. “One more thing – your eyes, they changed colors. I saw that, I know. Why?”

“Usually they are green, like they were in my previous life. It’s the scent of blood that causes them to turn red with temptation, with hunger…” Antonio answered slowly, voice low as he reached out to take hold of Lovino’s hand gently, brought it up to his lips, then pressed a kiss on his palm. “But you don’t have to be afraid, I only hurt those I intend to. You are in no danger with me.”

Lovino shivered under the sensation of Antonio’s lips on his skin and even though for the first time this night he felt truly terrified for a moment, the touch made him forget about it. He too stepped closer, although there wasn’t much room for that anymore, their chests were almost touching, and only a few inches separated their lips.

If what Lovino had heard before was true, this could all be part of Antonio being a vampire – the interest, the attraction he had been feeling since the first moment he had seen him could be fake, just a trick a vampire uses to lure their prey.

But the way his heartbeat sped up when Antonio put a hand on his waist, the way his breath hitched as Antonio’s ghosted over his, the desperate way he kissed him back when their lips finally met… It had to be real, he knew it. And if the tight, protective grip Antonio held onto him with was any indication, he was feeling the same.


End file.
